The Greatest Hero Of Them All
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: Spider Man starts to feel doubtful about being a hero. But a kind-hearted youth reminds him why the world needs heroes.


**This story is a tribute to Marvel legend Stan Lee.**

 **December 28, 1922-November 12, 2018**

 **The OC in this story, Joan, is named after Stan's beloved wife and one of his daughters. Enjoy and no flames please.**

 **Joan's poem was written by guestsurpise.**

* * *

In New York City, the Autumn breeze was ice cold. A few snowflakes dropped here and there. But the cold weather was nothing compared to how a young man standing alone in a cemetery felt.

Peter Parker stood in front of a grave. His eyes were void of life when he stared at the headstone.

Benjamin Parker.

This was the grave of Peter's beloved Uncle Ben. When Peter Parker was given spider-like abilities due to a radioactive spider bite, the young teenager decided to use his powers to benefit himself. But when he ignored a thief who ended up killing his uncle, Peter blamed himself and after tracking down and capturing the thief, he remembered his late uncle's words:

'With great power comes great responsibility.'

Those were the words Peter engraved on his heart and took it upon himself to become Spider Man, the masked web-slinging avenger of New York.

"Another year has gone by, Uncle Ben." Peter said to his uncle's grave. "It's been really tough since you've been gone." Peter wiped away a stray tear. "I mean, being a high school student and a hero takes a lot out of me. I'm not really sure I'm making a difference no matter how hard I try, but-"

"HEEEEEEEEELP!"

Peter stopped his speech and spun around to see a young girl being chased by three older boys outside the cemetery gate. Peter took off, unbuttoning his jacket and reaching into his pocket to get his mask.

Deep within the cemetery, the girl was pushed into the gate by her attackers. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed.

"All I wanted was to see your little poem you wrote in class, that's all." The leader of the boys pulled out something form his pocket. The girl's stomach dropped when he pulled out a pistol.

"Wanna hand me that paper now?" The bully smiled, his finger on the trigger.

The girl tried to run but the boy's buddies pinned her to the tree.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" The girl let out a blood-curdling scream.

The boy pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

"What the-?!" He kept pulling the trigger, aiming at his target, but no bullets.

 **THWIP!**

The gun was yanked out of the boy's hand. He and his friends were kicked down in a flash and webbed to the ground.

The girl gasped when the town hero landed before her. "Spider Man...!"

The boys turned white when the masked hero stood over them, holding the very weapon they used to threaten this innocent girl.

"Just so you know," Spider Man raised the gun. "Most guns can't be fired without first removing the safety." He unclicked the safety off. "You really shouldn't be pointing this at people. You wanna die that badly?"

"HEY! Don't shoot, man!" The leader of the pack squealed. "It's just a BB gun!"

"I know that, you idiot." Spider Man replied coldly. "It really makes me sick seeing kids like you pretending to be murderers!" He walked away, leaving the teens to lay stuck to the ground in shame.

* * *

As Spider Man sulked away, he heard footsteps behind him. He spun around, about to fire his web shooter.

"WHOA! Don't shoot! It's just me!" It was the girl Spider Man rescued.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Spider Man asked in a irritated manner.

The girl looked rather nervous by the hero's icy demeanor. "Well, you saved my life. I wanted to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." Spider Man sighed. "I just do what heroes do." The hero saw the girl holding the same piece of paper the bullies wanted. "What's with the paper anyway?"

"Oh, it's a poem I wrote about my dad. He passed away a few days ago so I wrote a poem to recite at his grave."

At that moment, Spider Man's heart melted for the child. He offered her his hand. "Come on, kid. I'll walk you there."

The kid smiled and took his hand. "Thanks! And you don't have to call me kid. The name's Joan."

* * *

And so, Spider Man and Joan returned to the cemetery to visit the grave of Joan's father. Joan unfolded the paper. "For But A Moment, by Joan Lee." She cleared her throats and began reciting her poem.

"For but a moment, the sky will turn to black

For but a moment, my heart will bleed.

For but a moment, the tears will fall as rain

Sadness my soul will feed.

For but a moment, your path is another way.

For but a moment, we must part.

For but a moment, the trees will cease to sway

As you are placed inside our hearts.

For but a moment, my tears become a waterfall

For but a moment, we will be sad.

For but a moment, we cannot stand tall.

We miss the hero we once had.

But this is not the end my friends

Not the end I say.

For memories and love will bring us through

From nightfall into day.

Now watch with me as the sun will rise

The dark destroyed by light.

Their love and memory will live on.

And all will be alright."

Joan finished reading. She heard sniffling and saw Spider Man fanning himself. "Sorry, got emotional back there. You know, it's crazy. I was mourning over someone I lost until you showed up."

Joan gasped. "Really?!"

Spider Man nodded. "Yeah, losing him made me become Spider Man, so nobody would have to go through what happened to me. I thought nothing I did made a difference."

"What are you talking about?!" Joan exclaimed. "Of course you're making a difference! You just saved me from a bunch of wannabe gangsters! Not just me, but dozens of people! You're a hero, Spider Man! You always have been and you always will be! It's because of you I love superheroes! You're the best thing New York has got!" She smiled. "And after what you told me, you're living proof that it's important to become greater than what you've suffered. Be greater than the haters!"

A big smile formed underneath Spidey's mask. He ruffled Joan's hair. "Thanks for reminding me, Joan. I'll walk you home."

As Peter held Joan's hand and walked her home, he felt a gentle breeze embrace him. He looked up at the starry night sky and had a pretty good feeling his uncle Ben was smiling down on his nephew.

"I won't give up, Uncle Ben. I'll keep fighting." Spidey said below his breath. "My legacy, and every hero I know, their legacy will always live on."

And the wind blew upward, giving Spidey an idea. He picked up Joan. "How about we take the swinging way home, Joan!"

"Oh, yeah!" Joan eagerly held onto the hero's shoulders. Spider Man shot out his web and began swinging through New York City.

"WOO-HOOOOOOO!" Spider Man hollered for all of Manhattan to hear.

When people look up with the sun in their eyes, they'll also see their friendly neighborhood Spider Man, a true legend that will never die.

* * *

 **GoldGuardian2418: The world has lost a great man. A man who gave us people we can relate to, people we can cheer for, people who inspire us to be who we are and do what we can to make a difference in the world. Spiderman and Daredevil are my two favorite heroes from Stan Lee, but the one movie that holds a dear place in my heart is Big Hero 6, the movie that helped me with my sorrow when it came to the one-year anniversary of my father's death. Let us never forget Stan Lee, one of the most amazing artists of the world.**

 **Redbat132: To Stan Lee. He made the best cameo appearances in his shows, cartoons, and movies. Stan Lee truly was an artist of his creative imagination and fun personality that made us laugh. May we thank him for bringing the heroes we love today and brought into out lives that inspire us every single. May we remember him as the greatest hero that ever lived. An Earth's Mightiest Hero to us all. He may be gone, but his work shall live on and be remembered.**

 **guestsurprise: Stan Lee, a genius and creator. Words cannot express how the world will feel about his passing. We do not have the heart to say goodbye to a hero. Hero? Yes…I said hero. Heroes do not always have super powers and capes. Heroes have hearts of gold that know how to make people happy and bring their imagination to life and share with the world. That is what Stan Lee did. He created characters that we all wish we could be, but he didn't stop there. He made it to where we COULD be those characters if we wanted to be. He gave them hearts, minds, and feelings that could relate to the everyday person. So in a way, we were all the Hulk, Iron Man, Black Panther, and the many other wonderful creations he made. Why? Because he made us believe in them and believe in ourselves. Each character was relatable, and we could be them if we wanted to be. Now Mr. Stan Lee has one more mission for us. Continue to believe in yourselves just like he did and just like he believed in his work.**

 **newbienovelistRD: It's been a true honor to do this story for the great Stan Lee. He introduced to us heroes who started out flawed, not perfect. But he showed us that by overcoming your flaws and becoming greater than what you've suffered makes you a true hero. Stan is without a doubt the greatest Marvel hero of them all. He created legendary characters that inspire us to be greater human beings. Spider Man is my most favorite superhero because Stan made him so relatable to me. Peter Parker wall-climbed from the ground up and reached the tip top of Mount Marvel Success, going from normal high school kid to inspirational icon.**

 **We will miss you, Stan Lee. Your legacy will never end. It will always be carried on in the hearts of millions, both young and old.**

 **Excelsior!**


End file.
